Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlington, TX and Barcelona

For one person, living costs are similar in Arlington, TX and in Barcelona: $2,439 and $2,399 a month, rent and utilities included.

117

Cost of Living Index in Arlington, TX
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Arlington, TX Living Index
116

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Arlington, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,439

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Arlington, TX and in Barcelona

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Arlington, TX and in Barcelona actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,439 in Arlington, TX versus $2,399 in Barcelona.

Arlington, TX $2,439
Barcelona $2,399

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,647 in Arlington, TX versus $3,410 in Barcelona.

Arlington, TX $3,647
Barcelona $3,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,855 in Arlington, TX versus $4,421 in Barcelona.

Arlington, TX $4,855
Barcelona $4,421

Living in Arlington, TX is roughly 2% more expensive than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Arlington, TX 81% above, Barcelona 78% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.39 $20.39

$17.94 €15.96

13.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.3 $55.3

$68.1 €60.5

-18.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.11 $10.11

$13.28 €11.81

-23.87%

Cappuccino

$4.86 $4.86

$3.25 €2.89

49.54%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 $2.56

$3.01 €2.67

-14.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$1.87 €1.66

22.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 $5.38

$3.85 €3.42

39.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 $6.68

$4.48 €3.98

49.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.29 €1.15

-39.53%

White Bread (500g)

$3.64 $3.64

$2.04 €1.81

78.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.26 $5.26

$1.72 €1.53

205.81%

Eggs

$2.67 $2.67

$4.77 €4.24

-44.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.60 $10.60

$16.77 €14.92

-36.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.10 $13.10

$8.93 €7.94

46.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.02 $18.02

$19.88 €17.68

-9.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.44 $4.44

$2.98 €2.65

48.99%

Banana (1kg)

$2.66 $2.66

$2.03 €1.80

31.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.12 $5.12

$2.73 €2.43

87.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 $4.02

$2.68 €2.38

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 $2.53

$2.10 €1.87

20.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.08 €1.85

43.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.90 $1.90

$1.45 €1.29

31.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.89 €0.79

131.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.52 $9.52

$6.94 €6.17

37.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 $12.03

$7.78 €6.92

54.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.45 €1.29

38.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 $3.36

$2.57 €2.29

30.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$6.09 $6.09

$2.99 €2.66

103.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$25.20 €22.41

60.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 $2.93

$3.12 €2.77

-6.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.44 €1.28

18.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.81 $23.81

$33.50 €29.80

-28.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 $0.94

$1.79 €1.59

-47.49%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$34.6K €30.8K

3.36%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.7K $25.7K

$30.1K €26.7K

-14.46%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$211 $211

$178 €158

18.61%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$66.4 $66.4

$13.32 €11.85

398.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.1 $64.1

$34.88 €31.03

83.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.87 $40.87

$53.3 €47.37

-23.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.01 €14.24

Cinema Ticket

$14.74 $14.74

$11.06 €9.84

33.27%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,332 $1,332

$957 €851

39.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.4K $28.4K

$16.6K €14.7K

71.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.6 $61.6

$88.2 €78.4

-30.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 $51.0

$39.49 €35.12

29.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 $84.9

$103 €91.5

-17.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 $102

$121 €108

-16.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,536 $1,536

$1,653 €1,470

-7.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,112 $1,112

$1,302 €1,158

-14.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 $2,533

$2,557 €2,275

-0.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,031 $2,031

$1,915 €1,703

6.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,173 $2,173

$7,286 €6,481

-70.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,217 $2,217

$5,080 €4,519

-56.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,699 $3,699

$2,281 €2,029

62.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.51

3.28

98.48%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Arlington, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Arlington, TX

$1.1K 45.6%

Barcelona

$1.3K 54.3% 17% $190

Groceries & Markets

Arlington, TX

$393 16.1%

Barcelona

$320 13.3% 18.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlington, TX

$341 14%

Barcelona

$226 9.4% 33.8% $115

Eating Out

Arlington, TX

$311 12.8%

Barcelona

$270 11.3% 13.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Arlington, TX

$135 5.5%

Barcelona

$158 6.6% 17.7% $24

Getting Around

Arlington, TX

$76 3.1%

Barcelona

$47 2% 37.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Arlington, TX

$70 2.9%

Barcelona

$75 3.1% 7.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,536 in Arlington, TX and $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Arlington, TX pays 62% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $55.0 in Arlington, TX vs $68.0 in Barcelona. Groceries flip the comparison at $393 vs $320, with Barcelona cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Arlington, TX

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

17:04 5:04 PM

7 h ahead of Arlington, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

365,438

1,660,122

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Arlington, TX Barcelona 8,360 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlington, TX
Barcelona

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Arlington, TX vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Arlington, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Barcelona the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 62% higher in Arlington, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,536 in Arlington, TX versus $1,653 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,439 per month in Arlington, TX versus $2,399 in Barcelona – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Barcelona runs roughly 61% less than in Arlington, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Barcelona is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Barcelona delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $2,399 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Barcelona hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Arlington, TX and Barcelona are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Barcelona gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Arlington, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.